Sambal belacan bawang is a quick an easy spicy relish to make that’ll jazz up many a meal for days to come.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Sambal Belacan Bawang
Let’s break it down, shall we? In Malay:
- sambal = any spicy condiment or side dish
- belacan = shrimp paste
- bawang = onion
- sambal belacan bawang = onion and shrimp paste spicy condiment
You know I can’t have a meal without spice in it, right? And at least 1 meal a day is Asian based for me, if not both. I mean, I am Singaporean, after all. South East Asians can’t live without our sambals and nam priks!
So I was about to make some sambal belacan one evening just before dinner when I decided to add an onion to it and made it sambal belacan bawang instead. Then wondered whether to share it with my readers or not. It’s not really a new recipe as such, but it kind of is.
Then I thought about my “Chilli Head” readers, and decided to publish it because they consume all things spicy over at LinsFood. Once a week, I send them a new article that has something to do with chillies, whether it’s a recipe or a type of chilli. So here we are! Because I know they will love it!
The Recipe
So I said this sambal belacan bawang was easy, didn’t I?
We’ll be using the same ingredients as in our sambal belacan recipe here, with the addition of an onion. It makes a nice change.
I make all sorts of sambals all the time, and hardly ever use exact measurements for any of them. So if you use more chilli, less chilli, more onion, less onion, it really doesn’t matter.
This is what we’ll be doing:
- Dry toast the belacan (shrimp paste).
- Chop up the chillies and onion roughly and place in the chopper.
- Add salt, sugar and lime juice and blend to a semi coarse (or smooth) state. Depends on how you like it.
- Dish up into a clean jar and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. You could go a week, but it’s best in the first 5 days.
Can you use a Pestle and Mortar?
Absolutely. That would have been the tool of choice for any sambal, traditionally. And many still insist on it. Me? I insist on living in the 21st century. Most of the time.
I’ve said this before: if my granny was happy making her sambals in her chopper in the 70s … you know?
So, make your sambal belacan in a mortar, if that’s your thing. Or, like me, use a chopper. Completely up to you.
How to Serve Sambal Belacan Bawang?
I have this with rice, more often than not. Just like nam prik is eaten in Thailand. But it can also be eaten with noodles, because all noodles want some sort of a spicy relish on the side. Don’t they?
This sambal belacan bawang is also good as a sandwich spread, a burger sauce or a condiment on the barbecue table.
And naturally, given its ingredients, it is a great stir fry paste. So if you wanted to fry some noodles, rice or vegetables, chop up your onion and garlic, then add a tablespoon of this sambal to your wok. Don’t bother with those awful store bought stir fry sauces, which are just sweet, and not much else.
And that’s it. Let’s get in the kitchen.
If you enjoy the recipe, drop me a comment and let me know. And if you are feeling like a star, don’t forget that 5-star rating!
If you make this recipe, post it on Instagram and tag me @azlinbloor and hashtag it #linsfood.
Lin xx
More Sambal Recipes
Sambal Belacan Bawang
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 chopping board
- 1 small frying pan
- 1 tablespoon
- 1 spatula
- 1 small jar for storing
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp shrimp paste
- 10 fresh red chillies
- 5 red bird's eye chillies
- 1 medium onion pre peeled weight about 100-120g (about 4oz)
- ½ tsp white sugar
- ⅛ tsp salt (generous pinch)
- 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice 1 Persian type lime, if using calamansi, 3-4 limes will do
Instructions
Dry Toast the Shrimp Paste
- Place the shrimp paste (belacan) in a small frying pan on medium-low heat. Flatten it as much as you can to get as much of the surface area roasted as possible; it will stick to the back of your spatula. Just scrape it off and add back to the pan.
- Turn the heat down to low and roast for about 5 minutes. Flip it over halfway. If it's in bits, just scrape and flip as much as possible, but don't worry too much if you can't.When done, tip into the mortar after pounding the chillies. If using chopper, just tip with the chillies.
Other Prep Work (while the belacan is toasting)
- Peel and chop the onion into quarters and drop into your chopper.Roughly chop up the chillies into 2-3 pieces, drop in the chopper.
Make the Sambal (Chopper Method)
- Add the sugar, salt and lime juice to the chopper and grind everything to a semi coarse state. If you like your sambal coarse, pulse it instead. If you like it smooth, keep going until you have a smooth paste.
- Taste, and add more salt, sugar or lime juice, if you fancy. Transfer to a jar and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
With a Pestle and Mortar
- If you are using a pestle and mortar, start by pounding the chillies, sugar and salt.
- When it has reached the semi coarse stage, add the shrimp, pound for a minute.
- Then finally, add the lime juice and zest and mix well.
- Store in a clean jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.
This was simply amazing, never thought to add an onion to it before. Such a small thing but huge difference! Thanks Lin.
My pleasure, Nic!